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Short story competition
Topic Started: Dec 23 2008, 02:57 AM (1,066 Views)
beflexor
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Baron
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I actually tried hosting a writing contest about six months back on another board. Here's some of the rules I had set:

Quote:
 
Some of us just plain can't draw, however, we can all write. (That's why we're all here afterall.) So I decided to try my hand at a writing contest and see how it'll turn out.

Description: Typos are all over the place, but they often inspire some of my best work. Even twice I have just plopped my hand down on the keyboard, tinkered with the results, and come up with several ideas. I want to see what all of you can do. What can you do with "whafersay"?

Rules: Since writing is so much different from art, this is going to be quite lenient. Whafersay can be anything you want it to be, anything. A creature, a trinket, a city, anything.

Your writing can be anything, from an informational bio to a short story.

The word count limit will be 3,000 words maximum (that will be about five pages with Times New Roman font in 12 point text if you need an example). I think it would be okay to allow as much as an extra 200 words, 500 does seem to be getting to be a but much though. The main reason for the limit is so that it allows a reasonable amount of length without being excessive, going over is okay as long as you're aware of it.

There's no minimum.

PM me the results. preferrably with a regocnizable title like "(Name here)'s Writing Contest Entry", as I am becoming senile and confused in my late age. Once we reach the deadline (June 15th) I will post all the entries in a topic and make a poll for everyone for the one they liked best.

I reccomend holding onto your submission for a while if you're already finished with it. There's still a lot of time left so it gives you a chance to sit on it and read it with fresh eyes, make some editings if you want, and generally give you some time to think and revise if needed.

Deadline:

The deadline is June 15.

Judging will then take place until July 15

Judging: With art, it's a little obvious as to who made it because of the style. With writing, it's a little more difficult. This is why I will post all the entries, in no particular order, in the Book Previews section for everyone to read and vote on.

You must read all of the entries before voting!!!
(obviously I cannot stress it enough)

After judging, the winner will be announced and the writer's names revealed.


I did recieve some good feedback from the contest too:

Quote:
 
When I saw the title the idea of a writing contest just made me giddy but upon reading the subject matter that I would be basing my writing on my desire dropped tremendously because I tend to be a rather serious writer. Some people are good at being funny, others are good at being random, yet others still are better at action post. The list goes on and on but for me no matter the finer details of the post I tend to be serious, usually with a touch of darkness or delving even into the outright macabre at times.

Let me be blunt...you can not be evil with the word “Whafersay” :P.

Point being that it seems to fit a very specific type of writing even if it can be done but that was what immediately through me off.

I might also suggest in the future that instead of a single word you give a premise off which the stories should be based. Things like' “Day at the park”, “Dreams” or “The ocean”. Even random sayings to inspire the imagination to come up with anything like “Crimson mirror”, “Silence is golden” or “Invisible key”. Instead of requiring members to use a nonsensical word that seems geared more toward silly or random stories you are giving a general concept. The person could take those words and turn them into absolutely anything, they might not even use those words in the story itself. But the point is that such sayings would allow a person to extrapolate on the wording in anyway they wished instead of taking a very specific word and given the same chance, the problem is that those are generally reduced to nouns...a person, place or thing.
You've just been 'chanted!
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Aloric
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Serf
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Maybe the winning entry could just be featured somewhere around the site :)

Next Friday sounds good to me. Are we going with a theme?
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Ričle
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Guardian Deity
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I've written up instructions that include a theme and guidelines. But I still don't have a word minimum for it (really though, is anyone actually going to write a 60k? :/) I'm not worried it's a problem, and I don't want to restrict anyone who might want to write a 3,000 word story to 2,000 words (or some such)... I don't mind reading them.


....*chuckles* I say that now ^_^
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Cosantilus Borental
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Slave
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A special title would be cool.. It could like 'Champion of Literature'
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